Tire.



'PATBNTED FEB. 12, 1907.

H. L. SLAGBRI TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7. 1905.

2 SHEETSSHBBT 1.

INVENTOR Hezzzy I. Wage/ WITNESSES.

ATTORNEY .S

PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

D H N .1 I m R T M ,7 V T. V f v/ Q WW WW W OE all M WITNESSES.

' ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' HENRY L. SLAGER, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 'oF ONE-HALF To CHARLES SWIGART, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO. I

TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 7, 1905. Serial No- 272,966.

Patented Fan a-1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HENRY L. SLAGER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tires, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to tires, and more particularly to resilient tires for vehicles, the object being to provide an efficient, durable, and relatively inexpensive tire, particularly adapted for the severe usage to which tires of automobiles and other heavy vehicles are subjected, although the invention is also applicable to other types of vehicle.

At the present time the pneumatic tire, while efficient when in good condition, is found to be not well adapted to the strain of heavy loads at high speed and is liable to become punctured, bursted, or have its efficiency otherwise destroyed, being thus practically lacking in durability. On the other hand, rubber tires which are not pneumatic require such a large mass of rubber to give the necessary resilience that their cost when made of a rubber compound of a purity such as to give the necessary wear-resisting qualities is practically prohibitive.

It is the object of my invention to provide a tire which will be free from the objection of lack of durability which characterizes the pneumatic tire and also free from the excessive cost of the non-pneumatic rubber tire as usually constructed.

' To these ends my invention consists in a tire comprising a core or central body made of a rubber compound which while suffi ciently resilient is comparatively inexpen sive, owirw to the fact that it is not constructed oi a high-grade rubber compound such asis necessary to withstand the wear of contact with the roadway, this core or body being inclosed in a sheath built up'of fabric and a high-grade rubber sufiiciently thick on the tread to have the necessary durability and wear-resisting qualities, said sheath being detachably connected to the wheel-rim in such a way as to hold the core or body and sheath which constitute the tire firmly in position in the rim, while permitting their ready removal when necessary.

My invention further consists in certain other novel features in a tire of this type, which.

will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the 'accom anying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation o a vehicle-wheel having applied thereto a tire embodying my invention in one form. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the same, taken on the line arm of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view, taken on the line 1 'y of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

' In the said drawings, 1 represents a wheel of any suitable construction. shown in the present instance as a wooden wheel, compris-' in a hub 2, spokes 3, and a felly 4. The fel y has secured to it a channeled metallic rim 5, having outwardly-flaring flanges 6, the tire pro er being seated in the channel of this rim. Said tire rro'," er com; rises a core or body 7, approximately circular in cross: section and constructed of a relatively inexpensive rubber com; ound of low wear-resisting qualities suitably cured or vulcanized. Many of these comp ounds are well known to those skilled in the art, and a body of sufficient elasticity or resilience for tire purposes can be obtained at a relatively small expense, provided said body does not -have to be of a character such as to resist wear from contact with the roadway. By employing a core or body of this character and protecting it by an lnclosing sheath of the character hereinafter described the cost of the tire may be fgreatly reduced, as compared with a tire o the same bulk or resilient qualities composed entirely of rubber of a grade so high as to adapt it to resist the surface wear of road use. The core or body 7 may be constructed either in the form of a continuous ring or annulus or in the form ofa strip or piece the ends of which abut when the core or body is in place in the tire. Said core or body is provided with a central longitudinal aperture 8, forming an airspace, which adds to the resilience of the tire and which gives to the tire the, characteristics -of what is known as a cushion-tire. Said-core or body is also preferably provided in'its outer portion, correspondmg to the tread, with a longitudinal groove 9 for the purposes hereinafter set forth, while its diametrically opposite portion adjacent to the rim is preferably provided with a longitudinal groove 10, said inner face being also with the roadway, the two being built up and vulcanized together in a way well known in the art. The high-grade rubber compound is indicated by the numeral 13, and it will be' seen that it is very much thickened at the.

tread, so as to form there a body of rubber of considerable mass and thickness, so as to efliciently protect the inclosed fabric at the point of'greatest wear. The mar ins of the rift of the sheath are provided wit beads-or enlargements 14, constructed in any of the numerous ways well known in the art-such, for instance, as inclosing or inwrapping in the fabric, cords, wires, or the like. The tread portion of the sheath is provided on its inner 2 5 surface with a longitudinal rib 15, preferably strengthened or stiffened by having the fabric extended into the same, as shown,which rib extends into and fits between the sides of the external groove 9 of the body or core,

' 0 but without extending to the bottom of said groove, soas to leave an air-space 16 in the inner portion of said groove.

17 indicates a retaining-band, of steel or the like, non-continuous or severed at one or 3 5 more points and adapted to encircle the metallic rim and hold the edges of the tiresheath therein. To this end said retaining band has its marginal portions beaded, as indicated at 18, or otherwise so constructed as to interlock with the edges of the sheath. Said retaining-band is secured to the felly of the wheel by means of bolts'19, located at suitable intervals around the wheel. bolt 19 is rovided at its outer end with a 5 head or en argement 20 and-passes through a slot 21 in the retaining-band 17, said slot being longitudinal with respect to the band and of a width conforming to the diameter of the body of the bdlt and less than the diame- 0 ,ter of the head 20. The body ofthe bolt ex tends-through apertures in the metallic rim 5 andfelly 4, beyond which its threadedend projects inwardand receives a nut 22 and washer 23. It willbe seen that by turning 5 5 the nuts 22 in the proper direction the heads 20 of the bolts 19 may be caused to draw the retaining-band 17 firmly down into the channel of the rim, the slots 21 ermitting the longitudinal movement of t iie band relatively to the bolts arising from. the decrease thus caused inthe diameter of the band. The groove 10. provides a space for the heads 20. It will be seen that when the nuts22 are loosened, so as to loosen the retaining-band 17,. the core or body and its inclosing sheath- Each.

may-be applied to the wheel, and the beaded edges of the sheath may be introduced between the retaining-band'and-the channeled metallic rim. The nuts 22 may be then tightened'up, whereupon the retaining-band will be drawn down into the channel-rim and its edges will interlock with those of the sheath and will hold both the sheath and the core or body of the tire firmly in-positionon the wheel. A reversal of these operations 7 5 will effect the release of the tire and permit its removal.

It will be seen that I have rovidedatire which is capable of ready ap ication to and. removal from the wheel and held firmly inplace on the wheel. The interlocking of the core andtsheath bymeans-of the groove and rib provided for that purv ose prevents the core fromturning axial y in=thesheath and maintains in proper relative position the parts, this-result being further aided by the shaping of-the base of the core to con form to the retaining-band -and'-bythe seatingi of the bolt-heads 20in the grooves 10; It will; be further seen that while the tire has all the advantages ofdetachabilityand of being taken a art into its constituent-elements possessed y the pneumatic tire,- itv hasmuch. greater efficient durability, since it is not open to the danger of colla se from punc- 5 ture or bursting and'is still e oient as a tire even when punctured-or cut Furthermore, although the mass and'resilience of the tire are equal-to those ofia solidiorcushion rubs ber tire of high grade rubber, the cost of the tire ismaterially less, since the great bulk thereof is made of a much 'less expensive ma* terial. With regard; toitswear-resisting qualities the tire is practically superior to that of a solid-rubber tire, since the. core or 1o 5 body may. beusedl indefinitely, and the I sheath, which has-a wearing resistance equal to that-of a solid-rubber: tire, proportionately. speaking, may be readily renewed when worn, while the solid-rubber tire after being. 1 1o Worn (past its point of efficiency must be dis carde and entirely replacedi As already stated, the resilience of the tire is amply. suf ficient and is enhanced not only by the centralair-spaoe 8, but also by the air-space 16 and 1 15 by the air-space formed within the groove 10.

. I do not wish-to be understood as limiting myself to the precise details of'construction hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings, as it is obvious that these details may be modified Without. departing from the rinciple ofmy invention.-

Having thus. ly described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a vehicle-wheel, of a tire therefor comprising a central body or core composed of av vulcanized, resilient rubber compound of'low wear-resisting-quali-r ties, and an outer: removable sheath: com

which. will-be 8o pjosed offabric and a rubber compound of de'tachably securing said sheath to the wheelsheath having on the inner surface of its tread portion a rib to engage the groove of posed of fabric and a rubber compound of reltread portion a rib to engage the groove of connecting said sheath to the wheel-rim, said of a vulcanized, resilient rubber compound of -of and an internal air-space between said first-mentioned air-spaces, said air-spaces beatively low wear resisting qualities, provided of a tire therefor comprising a body-or core of 'gh wear-resisting qualities, and. means for rim, said core or body having longitudinal grooves or air-spaces on opposite sides thereing in radial aljnement with the rim of said wheel.

2. The combination, with a vehicle-wheel, of a tire therefor comprising a body or core of vulcanized, resilient rubber compound of relwith a longitudinal groove in its outer periphery, and a removable inclosing sheath composed of fabric and a rubber compound of relatively high wear-resisting qualities, said the body or core, and means for detachably connecting said sheath to the wheelrim, substantially as described. 1

3. The combination, with a vehicle-Wheel,

vulcanized, resilient rubber com ound of relatively low wear-resisting qualities, provided with a longitudinal groove in its outer periphery, and a removable inclosing sheath-coml atively high wear-resisting qualities, said sheath having on the inner surface of its the body or core, and means for detachable rib fitting between the side walls of said groove and being of less depth than said groove, whereby an air-space is formed, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with. a vehicle-wheel having a channeled metallic rim, ofa tire therefor comprising a core or body composed relatively lowwear-res'isting qualities, having a longitudinal groove in the side adjacent to said rim and an outer removable sheath comthe margins of whic are provided with. en-

gaging devices to cooperate with those of the sheath, and bolts having heads adapted to enter the groove in said core and to engage said band from the outside thereof, said bolts extending through the metal rim and wheelfelly and being provided with nuts on their projecting ends, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a vehicle-wheel having a channeled metallic rim, of a tire therefor comprising a core or body composed of a'vulcanized, resilient rubber compound 0t relatively low wear-resisting qualities, having a a longitudinal groove in the side adjacent to said rim and an outer removable sheath composed of fabric and a rubber compound of relatively h gh wear-resistin qualities, said sheath being circumferentia 1y rifted at its innerortion, the margins thus formed being provi ed with engaging devices, and retainmg means com risirig a metallic band, the

margins of whic "are provided with engaging devices to cooperate with those 'of the sheath, and bolts having heads adapted to enter the groove in said core and to engage said band from the outside thereof, said bolts extending .through'the' metal rim and wheel-felly an being provided with nuts on their projecting ends, said retaining-bandliein discontinu- 011's and provided with longitu inal slots for the passage of the bolts, substantially'as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY L. SLAGER.

Witnesses:

IRVINE MILLER, HARRIET HAMMAKER. 

